Vitaly Nikolaevich Potapenko ( uk, Віталій Миколайович Потапенко, pronounced ''vee-TAH-lee poe-TAH-pen-koe'', born March 21, 1975) is a Ukrainian former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at

Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...

and was selected 12th overall by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball play ...

, also the last pick before

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

, believed by many as the best player from the 1996 draft. Nicknamed "The Ukraine Train", he played for the

, the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, as well as MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB. Since retiring as a player, Potapenko has been serving as an assistant coach for several teams, among them the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

, the Dakota Wizards, and the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to ...

and later as an assistant director of player development for the Cleveland Cavaliers, helping them win their first ever NBA championship.

Notes

External links

NBA.com Profile

Cleveland Cavaliers' Front Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potapenko, Vitaly 1975 births Living people Basketball players from Kyiv BC Budivelnyk players Boston Celtics players CB Estudiantes players Centers (basketball) Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Dakota Wizards coaches Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches Fort Wayne Mad Ants coaches Indiana Pacers assistant coaches Liga ACB players National Basketball Association players from Ukraine Power forwards (basketball) Sacramento Kings players Santa Cruz Warriors coaches Seattle SuperSonics players Ukrainian expatriate basketball people in Spain Ukrainian expatriate basketball people in the United States Ukrainian men's basketball players Wright State Raiders men's basketball players

See also

Notes

External links